Taunton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Taunton | |
|
Taunton shown within Somerset | |
| Population | 58,241 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Taunton Deane |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TAUNTON |
| Postcode district | TA1, TA2, TA3, TA4 |
| Dialling code | 01823 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | Taunton |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. Taunton civil parish has a population of 44,050.[1] Suburbs of the town include Bishop's Hull, Staplegrove and Galmington, giving a total population for the "Taunton Urban Area" of 58,241 according to the 2001 census, up 4.4% since 1991. It is the largest town in Somerset (est. 60,000 inhabitants in 2006) and is its administrative capital.
It is home to the County Cricket Ground where Somerset County Cricket Club play. It is part of the annual West Country Carnival circuit. It hosts Taunton flower show, which has been held in Vivary Park since 1866. The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is located in Taunton on Admiralty Way.
Contents |
[edit] History
The town name derives from Town on the River Tone — or Tone Town. There was perhaps a Romano-British village near the suburb of Holway, and Taunton was a place of considerable importance in Saxon times. King Ine of Wessex threw up an earthen castle here about 700, and a monastery was founded before 904. The bishops of Winchester owned the manor, and obtained the first charter for their "men of Taunton" from King Edward in 904, freeing them from all royal and county tribute.
At some time before the Domesday Survey Taunton had become a borough with very considerable privileges, governed by a portreeve appointed by the bishops. It did not obtain a charter of incorporation until 1627, which was renewed in 1677. The charter lapsed in 1792 owing to vacancies for the members of the corporate body, and Taunton was not reincorporated until 1877. The medieval fairs and markets of Taunton (it still holds a weekly market today), were celebrated for the sale of woollen cloth called "Tauntons" made in the town. On the decline of the west of England woollen industry, silk-weaving was introduced at the end of the 18th century.[2] In 1839 the Grand Western Canal reached Taunton aiding trade to the south.
In the autumn of 1685 Judge Jeffreys was based in Taunton during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor.
In World War II the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal formed part of the Taunton Stop Line, designed to prevent the advance of a German invasion. Pillboxes can still be seen along its length.
Thomas Hardy created an imaginary Wessex and renamed Taunton as Toneborough in his books and poems. He called the area Outer Wessex.
[edit] Attractions
The Almshouses along East Street, are an attractive row of 17th century dwellings, are still occupied.
The Taunton Castle area of town includes the Somerset County Museum and The Castle Hotel both on the grounds of the former Taunton Castle. Together with the municipal buildings they form an attractive three-sided group of buildings just beyond an archway off Fore Street. Though the effect is spoilt somewhat by the centre of this square being used as a car park, and the huge plain brick edifice of a bingo hall making up the west side of it.
The Mary Street Unitarian Chapel is located on Mary Street in Taunton.[1] In the latter part of the 17th century, Taunton had two dissenting places of worship: "Paul’s Meeting" and the Baptist Meeting.[3] Paul’s Meeting was built at the top of Paul Street soon after 1672 on part of a bowling green behind the Three Cups Inn, now The County Hotel, and rapidly became one of the largest congregations in the county. After Mayor Timewell sacked both Paul’s Meeting and the Baptist Meeting in 1683, the dissenters were driven to worship in private houses on the outskirts of Taunton, where their assemblies were regularly raided by the Justices. Paul’s Meeting survived attempts to turn it into a workhouse and, with the coming of William and Mary, followed by the Toleration Act of 1689, was reopened. The Baptist Meeting became the Baptist New Meeting was registered in 1691 and rebuilt in 1721 as Mary Street Chapel.
Since the 18th century, the congregation of Mary Street Chapel has been Unitarian. Known associations of Mary Street Unitarian Chapel include the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. While Coleridge was living at Nether Stowey, 16 miles (26 km) away from Taunton, Coleridge came to the chapel to preach on several occasions. The minister at the time was Dr. Joshua Toulmin, who was unable to take services because he was grieving for the loss of his daughter who had been drowned on April 15 1798. Wesley also preached in the chapel on two or three occasions when wet weather drove him and his followers indoors. Another notable is Dr. Malachi Blake, who founded the Taunton and Somerset Hospital in East Reach, Taunton, in 1809 in celebration of the fiftieth year of George the Third's reign. Mary Street Unitarian Chapel still has the original interior including Flemish oak pillars in the Corinthian style. The pews and pulpit are also in oak, and there also is an early 18th century candelabra.
The Parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, built of sandstone more in the South Somerset style, preserves an attractive painted interior, but its most notable aspect is its 15th and 16th century tower (rebuilt in the mid-19th century), which is one of the best examples in the country and a landmark. It was described by Simon Jenkins, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as “the finest in England. It makes its peace with the sky not just with a coronet but with the entire crown jewels cast in red-brown stone.” The tower itself has 12 bells and a clock mechanism. Two of the hammers on the clock mechanism are not striking.
The area by the river is predominantly supermarkets and car parks. It is hoped that the development of the County Cricket Ground will render this part of town, with its attractive setting, livelier. The area has hosted a concert by Elton John.
Hankridge Farm is a retail park, with large stores such as PC World and Halfords. In addition, there is a 'Venue' on the park, with eating places, the Odeon cinema and Hollywood Bowl bowling.
The Old Market was a farmers market but this moved to the Firepool area. The Old Market is now an indoor large shopping centre in the centre of the town.
Trull Road is a road linking the town to the Trull area. The road is the most affluent area in Taunton, often dubbed as 'millionnaires row'. The houses are home to many high earning professionals, with a average house price in 2006 of £1.2m. .
[edit] Public parks
There are public parks dotted around Taunton, the most notable of which is Vivary Park, located near the centre of the town. It contains two main wide open spaces, as well as a war memorial, fountain, mini-golf course, tennis courts, a children's playground and located next to it is a golf course. Flowing through the park is a tributary of the River Tone.
Goodlands Park, located around the centre of the town, is behind the Debenhams department store.
[edit] Transport
Taunton railway station is on the Great Western Main Line and the Cross-Country Route. It is served and operated by First Great Western and is also served by CrossCountry, with services to Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, London, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance, as well as the rest of the West Country. The former railway route to Minehead has become the heritage West Somerset Railway, with a bus service providing the normal link between Taunton and Minehead. Special rail events allow trains to run from Taunton along the heritage line to Minehead.
Taunton also has good road links, having the M5 motorway junctions 25 and 26 close to the town, as well as other major roads such as the A38 and A358. Taunton Deane services are located between junctions 25 and 26 on the M5.
The nearest airports are Exeter and Bristol, both within an hours car journey of Taunton.
Some of Taunton's town bus services are provided by First, who have regular services on routes across the town.
Cooks Coaches operate the Park and Ride scheme on the west side of the town called the 'Taunton Flyer', including a dedicated service to Musgrove Park Hospital named the 'Musgrove Flyer'. There are plans to expand this service from the Motorway at Junction 25.
[edit] Education
State secondary schools in Taunton include Heathfield Community School, The Castle School, Bishop Fox's Community School and Ladymead Community School. State-funded Sixth Form teaching is provided by Richard Huish College. The coeducational independent schools in Taunton are King's College, Queen's College and Taunton School. Further education is provided by Somerset College of Arts and Technology.
[edit] Sports
Taunton is home to:
- Somerset County Cricket Club, who play at the County Ground
- Taunton Town Football Club, who play at Wordsworth Drive.
- Taunton Rugby Club, who play at Hyde Park
- Somerset Vikings Rugby League Club
- Taunton Tigers Basketball Club, who play at Wellsprings Leisure Centre.
- Taunton Racecourse
[edit] Pop culture references
Taunton plays a role in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is mentioned in The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Scoop by Evelyn Waugh and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. Taunton has also made an appearance in a number of other British comedy series, including Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blackadder, Men Behaving Badly, Vic Reeves' Big Night Out, and also The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. Comedian Bill Bailey also mentions the town in his stand-up DVD Part Troll, claiming to have taken part in a teleportation experiment sponsored by Taunton Cider. Taunton was also mentioned in a 2007 Doctor Who episode, "The Shakespeare Code".
[edit] Notable residents
The following people were born or have lived in Taunton:
- Colin Addison - former professional footballer and manager
- Jenny Agutter - actress
- Pattie Boyd - former wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton
- Andrew Caddick - former England fast-bowler
- Lee Martin - Footballer who plays for Manchester United
- Gary Rhodes - celebrity chef who was head chef at the The Castle Hotel.
- Lizzie Bird - actor who has appeared in Holby City, Emmerdale and a superdrug advert.
- James Purefoy - actor, one of the stars of the joint HBO-BBC series, Rome
- Andy Robinson - former England rugby union international and head coach
- Marcus Trescothick - England cricketer, given Taunton Deane Citzenship Award in 2005.[4]
- Henry John Woodcock - Italian magistrate
[edit] Twinning
The town is twinned with:
[edit] References
- ^ Somerset County Council, 2002. Population estimates.
- ^ From the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ Bush, Robin, (1977). The Book of Taunton.
- ^ Taunton Deane Citizenship Award to Marcus Trescothick (PDF). Taunton Deane Borough Council (16 September 2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
[edit] External links
- Taunton at the Open Directory Project
- Taunton Community Siteda:Taunton
de:Taunton fr:Taunton it:Taunton nl:Taunton no:Taunton (England) pl:Taunton (Anglia) simple:Taunton
